Seven Days of Pepperony
by AlexaNDYE
Summary: Celebrating Pepperony week!
1. Day 1: HurtComfort

It was an assassin. Tony Stark had defeated the leader of a group of assassins weeks ago. He thought the threat was destroyed, but he didn't anticipate another assassin out for revenge. The son of the leader had managed to sneak in one of SHIELD's new base. Nick Fury, as well as the Avengers, hung out in the base, upgrading their tech, repairing their tech, or waiting around for a new mission.

Tony and Pepper were on a field trip—more so Pepper, than Tony. Tony was merely showing her around the place; showing her all the spots where he thinks they should have awesome sex and make out at, and spots where he wants them to have sex and make out at. Pepper, of course, just rolled her eyes at him. He showed her the new lab they were building, the new workshop that he was renovating, conference room halls, and the common areas the superheroes shared.

He stopped in front of a metal door and turned around to face her. "So, do you like it?" Tony asked with a loving smile. He was happy she was with him. He wanted to give her a tour of the new SHIELD HQ ever since the structure was built, but she was always at Stark Industries, working and conspiring with Agent Hill.

"Do I like how nothing is complete yet?" She teased with a smirk. He gave her a lopsided frown; he knew she was teasing him. She chuckled and leaned in to softly kiss him. When she pulled away, he looked light headed, all while sporting a wide grin on his face. "Yes, I love it."

He endearingly stared down at her and her cute freckles. "You're such a tease." He growled at her.

"Well," she said with a small smile. "I learned from the best."

He rested his hands on her waist and pulled her in. "Oh," he exclaimed. "I forgot to show you the best part of this tour—and it's actually one of the better parts."

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Oh?"

Tony turned around and pressed his hand against the door. The panel underneath his hand lit up and swiped across in a scanning motion. "Welcome back, Sir." JARVIS announced as the door opened. "And welcome, Miss Potts."

Tony backed into the door, letting her soak in everything around her. Her head turned to look inside the room as she gazed at all the objects and lights that surrounded her. The inside of his room was magical; there were many bright lights that emanated from inside the walls and there were lots of impressive interior décor that even surprised her. The room contained shades of grey and brown. The lights accenting the room was the color of the Arc Reactor, a familiar and light sky blue, running down the walls in strips and across the ceiling. Pepper smiled, as the room already felt like home.

Tony watched her look around in amazement. "You like it?" He asked, affectionately squeezing her waist.

Pepper's eyes eventually landed on the area behind the bed; there was no headboard, only a long table strewn across like a nightstand. There was a digital clock, with the same lighting as the Arc Reactor, and a few picture frames. Each frame had a different picture. Her eyes lit up when she noticed that each picture was a picture of them; smiling, laughing, hugging, kissing.

Tony followed her line of sight and saw the pictures. "You like them?" His tone was endearing, and his smile was warm. Her heart fluttered when she saw the affectionate look on his face. "You know," he scratched the back of his head in nervousness. "It took me a while to sift through all the photos JARVIS took…" he glanced down at her. Her smile was pure and full of fondness.

"Yeah?" She asked, with a wide grin.

Tony laughed under his breath. He loved it when she smiled; when her grin stretched from ear to ear. He loved her laugh, her giggle, the wrinkles on her nose when she sneezed and when she yelled at him, and the roll of her eyes whenever his comments were inappropriate, or just typical of him. He loved it when she was near him, close to him, or at arm's length. He loved the feel of her soft skin under his calloused hands. He loved the feeling of her warm lips pressed against his, and how her hands roamed to his hair whenever they were kissing.

It only took a second for all of that to be taken away from him. It struck her like a bullet. A small knife was thrown at her from behind. She staggered forward with widened eyes and the look of sudden pain. Tony furrowed his eyebrows slightly. She glanced up at him, out of shock and fear—fear of dying.

"Honey?" Tony asked, watching her body start to go limp. He had no idea what was happening, and it scared him. He could barely talk, or think.

"Tony?" She whispered, lowly and with a small squeak. Her mouth went dry and her mind blanked, as she fell forward and into his arms.

Tony did what he could to hold her up, but he instantly panicked. _What happened—What's happening!? Pepper! What—_, he thought. He saw the knife lodged in her back and suddenly felt his heart break into a million pieces. His entire world was starting to crumble right before his eyes. He looked up and saw the same look when he defeated leader of the assassins. His face went from heart broken and internally dying, to furious and vengeful.

Red started to spread across the back of Pepper's white blouse. Her body didn't move as it lay limp against Tony's.

Without thinking, Tony flicked his arm behind himself, all while holding Pepper, and let the gauntlet of the Mark 42 rip through the glass it was encased in. The gauntlet sped across the room and encased his hand and forearm in milliseconds. He thrust his hand in front of him with a hardened jaw and clenched teeth, and brought out the most powerful repulsor blast he could. The sound of the blast whirred throughout the base as it shot the assassin in the chest. The repulsor blast sent him flying across the hall and straight into a concrete wall. His body hit the wall and fell to the ground, and he stayed there, limp and unconscious.

Tony's anger ripped through him and burned out. He stared across the hall at the assassin's body; he wanted to make sure he was either dead or unconscious. When the assassin didn't move after a few seconds, Tony slowly lowered his gauntlet and felt his anger leave his body in one breath. He immediately tended to the body on top of his.

"Pepper?" He yelled in worry, and in pain; the thought of losing her was unbearable, and that's all he felt at that moment. "Please…" He pleaded, as he turned her limp body so her back laid against him. Tears streamed down his face as he held her. "…Don't leave me." He sniffed. He was angry at himself for not protecting her, like he promised he would. He was angry at the world for threatening to tear her away from his life.

He pressed his forehead to hers and held her tight, as tears continued to stream down his cheeks and drip onto her soft skin. "Honey… Please don't… Don't do this…" He pleaded again. "I can't—I can't live without you." He sobbed. "I can't…"

It was a week and a half later when Pepper was released from SHIELD's medical wing. The knife to her back didn't kill her, nor did it paralyze her; her body went into shock when it all happened. The powerful blast that ripped through hall was heard throughout the entire base. All agents and Avengers ran to the source, where they found the unconscious assassin, a shaken and emotionally torn up Tony Stark, and a bleeding Pepper Potts in his lap.

They rushed her to the newly built medical wing, where the doctors operated on her. Tony was beside himself; the team stayed beside him, comforting him and reassuring him of Pepper's positive state, up until the doctor came out to deliver the good news. Everyone was relieved, but Tony wasn't. He was still angry at himself for letting it happen. When he was ushered out of the medical wing to get some rest, he punched the nearest wall. _What good am I as a superhero if I can't protect her?_

When Pepper was released, he made her stay with him at the base, rather than moving her back to their penthouse in Stark Tower.

Pepper laid on Tony's bed as she rested. Her stitches were days old, but he didn't want to take any chances. He didn't let her do any work, or walk around alone. He watched her like a hawk. Tony laid beside her, on top of the covers, and watched her sleep. He was deep in his own thoughts when she suddenly spoke up.

"You don't have to watch me." Pepper said, opening her eyes. She tried her best to smile, but Tony's lack of happiness made her frown. "You okay?" She asked him.

Tony looked away, ashamed that he couldn't prevent any of _it_. "I'm fine." He lied.

Pepper stared at him. "No," She replied, pressing her lips together. "You're not." She always knew how to read him. Silence grew between them, and Pepper hated it. "Tony," she brought her hand up to his cheek. "Look at me." His eyes slowly locked onto hers. She could see the anger, sadness, and blame in his eyes. She shook her head at him. "This isn't your fault."

"Like hell it isn't." He cursed, immediately looking away.

"Tony, you had no control over this—"

"I'm Iron Man, Pepper." He practically yelled. "What good am I if I can't even save my own girlfriend?" He poured out his anger all at once. "I should've been the one in the hospital. He wanted to kill me, hurt me—make me suffer, and he chose you because he knew how to get to me—how to stab me in the heart. And he succeeded… I thought you were going to die—" He felt a tear roll down his cheek. Pepper did her best to fight back the tears. "I—I don't know what I would've done if—if you had…" He felt another tear escape his eyes; it ran underneath Pepper's hand that was still pressed against his cheek. "I'm so sorry, Pepper." He sobbed and crumbled underneath her hand. He leaned towards her, draped his arm over her waist, and pressed his head against her chest. She could feel the tears drip onto her t-shirt—his t-shirt, that she wanted to wear—as she held his head against her chest. She closed her eyes and held him; she let him release all the tears and anger he had bottled up in the past couple weeks. "I'm sorry…" She heard him mutter.

"I love you, Tony. I would never blame you for something like this." She murmured in a soothing manner, as she tried to calm him down by running her hands through his hair.


	2. Day 2: Pre-relationship

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and words. I know I don't do it often, but I just wanted to say that I'm very thankful for each and every one of your reviews. I write tons of drabbles and ficlets on my Tumblr, tripnskip, in case anyone was interested in those! Again, thank you!

* * *

Tony Stark never let anyone in his workshop. His workshop was about himself—his toys, his cars, and his own thoughts. The only person who was ever allowed to enter his workshop, beside himself and JARVIS, was James Rhodes. Why? Because he trusted him. Trust was a hard thing to come by, especially for Tony, because trust meant being close to someone, and Tony was rarely close to anyone. Personal feelings weren't his strong suit. Not even Obediah was allowed in his workshop.

Tony would bring all sorts of women home, and he never let a single one of them enter his workshop. They were always escorted out, either by his personal assistant, JARVIS, or his body guard, Happy Hogan.

It was a stormy night when the list increased by one.

"No, there are fifteen different things that I need to do by tomorrow, and it's already ten at night." Pepper said hastily into her phone, as she entered Tony's mansion. She had a manila folder of papers in one hand, and an umbrella in the other. She did her best to shake out the water from her umbrella before entering any further. She hung up the umbrella on a nearby rack and walked into the living room.

"Yes," Pepper smiled. "I'll be sure to call him tomorrow. Please tell dad I'm sorry I couldn't make it to his birthday dinner." She told her mom, whom was on the other side of the phone. "Yes, I already sent him his present." She looked at her watch and nearly panicked. "Oh, I have to go mom. I'll call again tomorrow. Good night." She said her good-byes to her mother and walked into the kitchen.

There was no food out, nor were there any remnants, which meant one of two things, either Tony didn't eat, as usual, or ate out, both figuratively and physically. She rolled her eyes at the thought.

"JARVIS," Pepper called out, sitting down on a nearby couch in the living room, and opening the manila folder on her lap. Several papers needed to be signed, but she had to sort them first. She usually left a stack for Tony to sign by the next morning. "Is Mr. Stark in his workshop?"

"Yes, Miss Potts." The AI replied.

"Can you please connect me to the intercom?" She asked, sifting through the papers.

A few seconds of silence passed. "I'm afraid Mr. Stark refuses to speak with anyone at the moment."

Pepper stopped what she was doing and straightened her back. "That's… odd." She pressed her lips together. "Well, can you please tell Mr. Stark that he needs to sign these papers by Thursday?" She asked JARVIS, while she stood up from the couch. She was about to place the appropriate papers on top of the kitchen counter until JARVIS said something he's never said before.

"Of course, although, you might be able to notify him yourself. Mr. Stark wishes to see you in his workshop."

Pepper froze. She had never been to his workshop. From the moment she started working for him, she was always told that his workshop was off limits. Employees from Stark Industries always spread rumors about his workshop—what it contained, what he did in there, why no one saw it.

"Um…" Pepper hummed. "Okay." She didn't know what to do. It felt like she was being called to her supervisor's office for something wrong she did, but she couldn't think as to why he'd want to see her _in his workshop_.

Pepper followed JARVIS' directions and found a spiraling staircase, right next to a wondrous and calming part piece. Her heels clicked down the stairs, and soon she stopped in front of a glass door. She saw machines, gadgets, gizmos, and anything you could imagine in an engineer's workshop. Off to the left, in the back of the workshop, she saw his expensive cars and a hot rod.

"1-8-9-4"

JARVIS' words confused her. "Huh?" Pepper asked, looking at the door in front of her.

"The passcode, Miss Potts."

Pepper furrowed her eyebrows and touched the door. The door revealed a keypad that was directly above the door handle. She nervously, and curiously, pressed in the combination, and with a pop, the door opened. She entered cautiously, all while observing and admiring the different objects and machinery around her.

"Wow…" Pepper gasped, as she saw plans for different kinds of warheads, bombs, and missiles.

"Pretty cool, huh?" A voice behind her said.

Pepper's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She spun around and saw Tony standing there with a dirty cloth between his hands. His hair was tousled, his shirt had grease stains, he had a pair of old jeans on, and he smelled like metal and motor oil. He looked absolutely gorgeous.

"Uh-uh, yeah." Pepper fumbled with her words. "It's amazing down here." She said, looking around them.

Tony grinned to himself. He always admired Pepper's reactions; she is a new personal assistant, after all.

"I'm actually surprised you're letting me in here." Pepper said, finally locking eye contact with him.

Tony smirked and threw the dirty cloth onto his desk. "How long have you been my personal assistant?" He asked.

"A little over three months."

Tony nodded. "You've dealt with drunk Tony, correct?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Pepper pressed her lips together and nodded back. "Yes, more times than I can count." She replied with a more than pleasant tone.

"And do you remember what you said to me a few days ago when you shoved my drunk ass into your car?" He raised his eyebrow at her and smiled politely.

She had to think about it. She dealt with his drunkenness countless times, so many times that they've all started to mold together. Of course, she yelled at him every single time.

"Not entirely, but it must've been pretty memorable, since you remember it."

Tony leaned against his desk and folded his arms across his chest. "You told me how pathetic I was, how stupid I was to live such a pointless life. You _sounded_ fed up with me, and I'm pretty sure you were. You told me I made weapons of mass destruction, got drunk every other night, had sex with random women every week, and gave you the most stress you've had in all your life."

Pepper stared at him and started to remember the entire one-sided conversation they had in her car. She was furious at him, especially since he refused to go to a Board of Directors meeting the very same day. The Board was not happy with her and they didn't let her get off so easily, so yes, she wasn't exactly a happy camper when Tony called her in the middle of the night, drunk and unable to get home.

"So, why, Miss Potts?" Tony asked, staring at her with the most gorgeous brown eyes she's ever seen.

She took a moment to keep her hormones in check. "Why, what, Mr. Stark?"

"Why stay as my personal assistant?" His smile left his face. He held a much more serious expression, one that she had never seen before. "If I infuriate you, cause you more stress than you can possibly handle, and piss you off, why do you keep coming back to work? Why aren't you quitting like all the other personal assistants I've had?"

Pepper pressed her lips together. She couldn't explain why, because she didn't know the answer herself. She hated picking up his mess. Her job was more along the lines of personal nanny than personal assistant. She's had to rant to numerous friends about her job, just to relieve some of the stress, and even then, she didn't know why she always came back.

She tightened her grip on the manila folder in her hands. "To be honest with you, Mr. Stark…" She started out. He tilted his head to the side, willing, and waiting, to hear her answer. "…Even I don't know the exact reason. You're the most exasperating man I've ever had to deal with. Your ego is off the charts, you refuse to have a decent conversation with a woman because all you think about is having sex with them, and you refuse to go to your own meetings because you think they have no meaning, you're present at more parties than meetings, and you flirt with every woman you lay eyes on."

Tony widened his eyes, looked away, and nodded. He was shocked, not because of the things she listed, but because she said it to his face. Not many people would say that to him without wanting to be fired on the spot. "Wow. That was—"

"But, you're also a kind and sensible man." Pepper cut him off. He looked back at her with a longing expression. He couldn't remember when anyone called him 'kind' or 'sensible'. "Many people don't see it, but I do." She told him with a small, heartwarming smile. "I know about the foster home you've been giving money to, and I know you visit your parent's graves every year. I know you don't celebrate Christmas because your parents died around that time, and I know you don't like having personal relationships with anyone."

Tony continued to stare at her. _How did she know this much? Happy told her… or Rhodey. One of the two._ His eyes were a soft shade of brown, and it made him look vulnerable and full of sorrow.

"I'm proud of you, Tony Stark." Her smile widened. Tony's mouth started gaping; no one had told him that before, not even his own father. "I'm proud of who you're trying to become, even if it does require my stress levels to go overboard."

Tony's lips slowly formed a pleasing smile. Those were possibly the most kind and pleasant words anyone has ever said to him. She was definitely a keeper. Even if he wanted to, he didn't think he could ever bring himself to fire her. He pointed at her. "Remember the passcode."

Pepper shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows at him. "What?" She thought she was going to get a thank you, a hug, or something remotely close to a praise.

"The passcode you used to get inside here." Tony responded, grabbing a wrench off his desk. "It's yours now, so don't forget it."

Pepper turned her head to the door and then to him, confused and a little disappointed. Tony started walking off deeper into his workshop.

"Um—uh, wait, wait, wait, I thought you didn't let anyone down here. I've only been your personal assistant for three months—"

He turned around and gave her a small smile. "Guess it's a good a time as any to let you in then, huh? Think of it as a gift, Miss Potts." He trusted her. He didn't want to say it, but he did, in his own way. He smiled to himself as he heard the clicks of her heels leave his workshop.

It was a sound he could love to get used to.


	3. Day 3: Sexy

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M.**

* * *

"_Do you think we could try something different?" Pepper asked Tony. They were sitting on the couch together in their penthouse, in Stark Tower. Pepper was trying to get some work done, and Tony was merely sitting next to her, trying to distract her._

_He raised his eyebrow at her. "Different?" He was quite curious. For the past couple months, they've done common sex positions, and neither one of them had asked about indulging into fantasies or fetishes—well, not yet, anyway._

"_Yeah." Pepper smiled, looking down at the paper work she had in front of her._

"_What kind of different are we talking about?" Tony asked, raising his eyebrow at her. His interests were peaking. He loved exploring new sex positions, but more importantly, he loved exploring Pepper's kinks and interests. The more he thought about it, the more aroused he got._

_Pepper turned to him, gave him a sexy smile and bedroom eyes. She placed her hand on the upper part of his thigh and said, "It'll be a surprise."_

_His __**iron man**__ was getting very excited. _

_Tony's lips formed a curious smile. "A surprise?" She nodded._

She decided to _surprise_ him on the night of one of their Annual Charity Balls. They entered their penthouse, kissing and groping. Pepper moved them though the door of their bedroom, and pushed him onto their bed. She straddled him, and continued to passionately kiss him. She rolled her hips, grinding against, and feeling his cock start to stir awake through his dress pants.

She tore off his blazer and threw it behind her. Tony kicked off his shoes and socks, knowing what their kissing and grinding will lead to. He was too occupied with Pepper's lips and hips to realize that she took his hands, and drew them above his head. It was the feeling of rope being wrapped around his wrists that alerted him.

Pepper pulled away, and continued to straddle him. She smiled at him, as he looked above his head and at his hands. His wrists were tied to the beam on their headboard. He yanked on his restraints a bit and began to smile sexily. He was not going anywhere, and this turned him on. His arousal grew every second, and what made things worse was that she was straddling him, and still grinding against him.

"Is this your 'something different'?" He asked, with a raised eyebrow.

She smirked. "Mhm," She hummed. "Ever been tied up before?" She glanced at his restraints. Tony tugged on them once more.

"Nope, but you'd think it be a yes, since I brought home hundreds of women and only had sex—" He saw the look she was giving him, and he knew, if he continued, he'd be in trouble. And not in a sexy way; she'd throw his ass on the couch and make him sleep there for the next week. "—Um… I'm just going to shut up now."

A slightly unpleasing smile graced her lips. "Great answer, Babe." She said, climbing off of him.

He lifted his head up to watch her. The anticipation was making him hard. She unzipped her hot red colored backless dress, and let it fall to the floor. Tony's jaw fell along with it. He was borderline drooling at this point; he tugged at his restraints, wanting to pull her to him and slide his cock against her wet folds, but forgetting he couldn't. He tugged at his restraints once more and cursed under his breath.

"Having trouble?" Pepper asked sexily, as she sauntered towards him. All she wore were a lacy pair of red panties. The fact that she hadn't worn a bra made Tony's breath hitch.

"A little." His hips started bucking as he thought of how good it'll feel to thrust inside her and feel her walls milk him to completion.

Pepper knew how hard he was getting, and it pleased her to know the lack of control he had on himself when she teased him. She pressed her palm against the crotch of his dress pants and felt his semi-hard erection. His hips started to grind against her hand, desiring more and more friction. Tony let a small moan escape his lips; he wanted more than just her palm stroking his cock.

"Nnnhh," Tony groaned. "God damn, Pepper." He breathed heavily.

Pepper licked her lips and bit her bottom lip. She wanted more from him—a lot more—but she didn't want to give him all the fun at once. She unbuckled his belt and pulled it loose; the sound of his belt unbuckling was music to her ears. She then grasped the zipper with her index finger and thumb, and slowly pulled it down. Tony was trying to buck his hips the entire time.

She grabbed both sides of his pants and yanked them down his legs, letting them pool at his feet. He was left in his boxers, and let his bulging cock happily greet her. Tony could feel his cock straining against its imprisonment.

He grunted a couple times, wanting Pepper to release his straining cock. She pressed her palm against the slit of his boxers, feeling his cock grow harder under her touch. Her eyes trailed up from his cock to his eyes, watching him and all the lovely expressions he was making. She could tell how frustrated he was getting – she could see the sexual desire in his eyes.

She hooked her finger around the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down, releasing his bobbing and throbbing cock from its prison. He sighed in content, until he felt her hand grasp the shaft of his hardening member.

Tony instantly drew in a sharp breath. She slowly pumped his shaft, up and down, up and down. And each time, he could feel himself getting harder and harder in her hand.

He threw his head back when he felt her start to palm the head of his cock. "Holy fuck…" He moaned. Pre-come started oozing out of the tip, and her palm spread it along the head. "Oh god." He sharply moaned again. She starting stroking him slowly, causing him to buck his hips in response. He desperately wanted to her to go faster, but she continued her lazy and slow pace.

He breathed heavily, and begged for her to go faster. He cursed under his breath and continued to do as much as he could to gain more friction.

Without a warning, Pepper sped up the pace and stroked him as fast as she could, hearing him make pretty noises, full of moaning and groaning, and whimpering. "Oh god, yes… yes-yes-yes." He threw his head back again and kept his eyes shut, enjoying every wave of pleasure his body received.

He oozed more and more pre-come, and she merely spread it around the head with her thumb. She did this several times until she decided to reach behind her and squirt some lube in her hand. When she first spread it along Tony's shaft, she heard him draw in a sharp breath of pleasure. She loved every single reaction he had. She spread the lube along his shaft, and continued to spread it around the head.

He nearly jumped when he felt her other hand start to massage his balls, rolling them in her palm. "Ooooohhh…" He moaned loudly.

Enough was enough. Pepper was already soaking wet and she could no longer control herself from pouncing on his throbbing and leaking rock hard cock. She climbed on top of him and straddled his thighs, leaving the only thing she wanted in front of her.

Tony lifted his head and looked down at his hard cock. He watched her grasp it by the shaft, stroke it a couple times, and press it against her laced panties. He nearly lost it right then and there. He watched her lazily grind herself against his throbbing shaft, enjoying every single bit of pleasure it gave her, and every bit of pleasure it gave him.

He groaned loudly and writhed in his restraints, wanting to be released so he could grab her hips, tear off her panties, and slam her down on his pulsing cock. God damn, did he wish he had the strength of the Hulk to do so. He cursed under his breath, all while Pepper continued to rub her wet clothed folds against his cock.

"Shit…" He cursed. She was playing mind games with him – torturing him with his own pleasure.

She saw the look on his face – the look of helplessness – the feeling of not being able to reach the most pleasurable orgasm he so desired.

Pepper let her tongue slowly escape her lips, licking them sexily and seductively. She bit her lip and let her hand trail down her stomach, to her sex. He watched, transfixed, as she slipped her finger in between her folds. He saw how wet she was – how much she wanted his cock inside of her. God, she looked gorgeous.

She slipped her fingers out and pushed away her panties, lowering her folds onto his shaft, grinding against him in a slow and excruciating pace. His mouth was wide open, and his eyes were fixated on how close he was to his goal. His mouth was dry and his mind was a complete blank. He wanted her so badly.

"Is this what you want?" Pepper asked, drawing her hips up so her folds hovered over the head of his cock.

"Y-yes." Tony responded with a slight moan.

"Are you sure?" She asked with a sexy smirk.

"Yes-yes-yes." He began to chant as he wriggled and thrust his hips up, hoping to finally impale her with his throbbing, dribbling, and needy cock. "Damn it, Pepper!" He cursed.

Pepper laughed as she watched his will crumble before her. He was in the palm of her hand.

Without a word, a warning, or any sign of agreement, she slammed herself down on his cock, feeling herself being filled to the brim with his hard member. She gasped loudly as the sensation of being filled overwhelmed her. Tony's hips shot up as he felt her walls start to squeeze every inch of him.

It felt so good to be inside her; every single time they had sex, it felt like a new experience for him. He was in a trance, filled with the most pleasurable emotions. He gasped alongside her, as he felt his balls start to tighten. He was on the brink of coming, but he refused to let it happen.

Without any word, Pepper started to grind her hips against his, and effortlessly ride him.

He gasped, moaned, and groaned, when her walls started to massage his cock, up and down. He tried his best to thrust his hips up, and a few times, he heard her moan louder, as he thrust up while she slid down. He felt the head of his cock hit her sweet spot, over and over, and each time, he heard her shout louder and louder, wondering when she was going to finally come.

"Pepper…" He moaned, as she rode him harder and faster.

When her pace increased, so did his. He shallowly thrust up, all while she rode him like a stallion. She leaned forward, let her hair cascade onto his chest, and propped herself up, pressing her palms against his ribs. The new angle proved to be more pleasurable than the last.

Tony sharply groaned. His head started spinning from every ounce of pleasure her body was giving him.

"Oh god—Pepper, I'm… I'm going to…" He began to moan, feeling his stomach feel a familiar burning sensation.

Pepper took it as her cue to move faster and faster. She expertly rolled her hips against his, feeling his throbbing cock slip out of her and slam back in. As if on cue, she began to feel the waves of pleasure slam into her.

"Oooohhh, Tony!" She screamed, as she stilled on top of him, feeling her orgasm hit her hard.

He felt her walls clench around him, and her juices gush around his throbbing cock. He groaned loudly as he continued to thrust into her. All it took was the perfect squeeze of her walls and a well-timed thrust to send him over the edge.

He shouted as he came, shooting thick white streams of come into her, once, twice, three times. "Nnnhhhhh!" He continued to shallowly thrust into her, allowing him to help her ride out her orgasm, and allowing him to feel every pleasurable wave he could get.

Her walls expertly milked him, making every last drop of semen ooze out of the slit of his cock.

It was until she collapsed on top of him, that he knew she was done. They were both panting, as they tried to regain their breath. Both of them were shocked at the amount of pleasure their 'something different' had produced, but they were also very happy how things turned out. Tony was filled with excitement. What other fantasies, kinks, and fetishes did she have?

"Oh my god." Pepper breathed. A wide smile graced her lips.

Tony began to grin. "That was…"

"Something different?" She asked, rolling off of him and pressing herself against his side.

He glanced down at her; he had the look of pure ecstasy. "Something that shouldn't be different. Let's make this a common occurrence, okay?"

She laughed. "Then, I take it you enjoyed it." She traced lazy circles on his stomach, admiring his muscles, and his breathing patterns.

"Enjoyed it? That's an understatement." He grinned, gesturing to his restraints. Pepper leaned up and untied him from the bedframe. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Her head rested on his chest, and their legs tangled together. "So, about round two…?"


	4. Day 4: Date Night

**A/N:** Fixed a few spelling mistakes (Thanks Carolina!)

* * *

Pepper was exhausted and stressed. She had never seen so many incompetent and rude businessmen in her life—well, she has, but not in one fell swoop. The meetings scheduled for her today were nothing but a mess. The Board of Directors rescheduled to next week, which meant that Tony didn't have to come into the office, but he was her only source of happiness that day, other than eating lunch with Happy.

She had meetings with various businessmen that did not like her ways of negotiation, nor did they want to conclude for the day without some sort of consolation prize. This only made her head spin more and more. They didn't like her contracting plans, but they didn't want to leave without some sort of agreement.

Throughout the day, Pepper took a total of four Advil pills, all while thanking the scientists who invented them.

She was somewhat relieved to leave the office that day, but she was nonetheless exhausted and stressed, and only looked forward to the comfort of her bed.

She walked through the elevators with a contented sigh. Tony heard the ding of the elevator and her voice, making him turn around on the couch he was lounging on.

"Pepper?" He asked, watching her backside approach the threshold of their bedroom.

"Hm?" Pepper hummed. He could tell she was tired.

Tony got up from the couch and took a few steps towards their bedroom before stopping. He wanted to give her some space since she had to deal with men, much more stubborn that him, on a daily basis. The last thing he wanted to do was piss her off and stress her out even more.

"You _do_ know what today is, right?" He asked from the living room.

"Another day of zero relaxation at work?" She asked from the bedroom. She sat on top of their bed and began to pull off her heels, sighing in relief as she did.

"Um…" Tony pressed his lips together. Pepper undid her pony tail and ran her fingers through her hair, letting out all the mental stress and strain she could. Her stomach growled at her, angry that she had little to eat the entire day. When she walked out of their bedroom, with a desire for copious amounts of food in her eyes, she stopped in her tracks.

In front of Pepper was her boyfriend, dressed in a black dress shirt, dark denim jeans, a nice expensive pair of sneakers, and her favorite hot rod red tie that she bought for him a few months ago. His hair was gelled and spiked up, as usual, and he wore the expensive cologne he knew she loved.

Various alarms rang through her head, but she didn't know which one was the right one. She stood there, trying to think of what he might be dressed up for.

She looked around. "Is there some charitable event that I don't know about?" She asked, as she watched him stride towards her.

He smirked. "No." He wasn't angry. Why should he be? He wasn't the one who ran his own company anymore.

"Do we have a dinner date with my parents?" Pepper asked, still puzzled.

Tony stopped in front of her. He could see the strain in her eyes and the cute dusted freckles on her face. He smiled warmly at her. "Close, but minus the parents part."

"Dinner date?" Pepper furrowed her eyebrows at him. That's when everything struck her like a train. "Oh my god." She pressed her hand to her forehead. "Oh god. It's date night." She completely forgot about their date night. She was so wound up at work that she forgot they had reservations at 7 PM. It was already 9PM. Why didn't he call her to remind her?

"I am so sorry, Tony." Pepper sighed. She felt horrible for forgetting. All bets were on Tony to forget about one of their dates, but it was Pepper who forgot first. "I-I—Let me just quickly go put on something nice and we can find another place to eat, maybe the restaurant down the street—"

He put his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down. "Pepper." He cut her off. "Stop. Stop worry about it, okay?"

"But it's date night," she looked at his attire. God, he looked so handsome and nice. "And you're wearing my favorite cologne and the tie I bought you and—" She was babbling at this point.

"Honey," He said again. "Don't worry about it. We can have date night again next week." He tried to reassure her.

She shook her head. "But you've been planning this for..."

"…A week." He told her, rubbing her shoulders with his thumbs.

"A week." She nodded, feeling really, really terrible. "And I forgot." She frowned. She hated being the one to forget something so important to their relationship.

"You're stressed, I can tell." He told her, sliding his hands down her arms to rest on her waist. "Why don't we just have date night inside? It'd be nice for a change to not worry about the paparazzi—and we can kiss each other as much as we want—oh, and we don't have to wait to tear each other's clothes off." He grinned widely. "That's a plus."

Pepper smirked. He always had a way to make her smile. Always.

"Okay."

"Yeah?" He chuckled. "Then it's a date. I'll go tell Happy to get some take-out, and you can go pick out the movie. And I'm sure we have dessert in the fridge—unless you decide on _other_ means of dessert—"

Before Tony could leave, Pepper grabbed his hand and gently tugged on it. "Tony?"

"Hm?" He asked, turning around to face her. His hand was warm against hers, something she always loved to come home to. His eyes were a soft shade of brown, and he looked so gentle and loving. It almost made her cry.

"Thank you."

Tony's lips formed an endearing smile. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her softly. She loved the feeling of his lips on hers, how they warm and soft they felt. God, she couldn't get enough of him. He pulled away and pressed his nose against hers; it made her smile widen.

"I love you." She told him lovingly. Every single time he heard those words escape her lips, his heart would threaten to burst out of his chest.

"I love you, too." He responded, pecking her on the lips again.

They slowly released themselves of their moment. Tony began to walk towards the kitchen to grab the take-out menu, just as he took out his phone from his pocket.

"Try to pick a movie that's suitable for both of us." He told her. She merely smirked. "The last thing I want to see is you, drooling over Gerard Butler and Ryan Gosling, again." She could sense a hint of jealousy in her tone. It wasn't her fault chick flick movies always had the cutest actors.

She picked out an action movie, one that she knew Tony would love. Tony asked Happy to order them some Chinese food from the restaurant that was only a couple blocks away, and then told Happy to order whatever he wanted.

Tony and Pepper changed into something more comfortable. Tony wore a t-shirt and some sweats, while Pepper wore one of Tony's band t-shirts and a pair of his boxers, a combination she knew drove Tony wild. They lounged on the couch while they ate, and they occasionally stole food from each other's boxes; it was nothing unusual for the couple.

After the food was devoured, they laid down on the couch together. Pepper had her head on Tony's chest, and her legs tangled with his, while he had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. They cuddled and snuggled throughout the movie, enjoying each other's company and basking in each other's presence.

In the middle of the movie, Tony felt Pepper's breathing patterns even out. When he looked over at her, she was fast asleep, drooling on his chest. He chuckled and pressed a light kiss to the top of her head. He got out a blanket from underneath the couch, pulled her in closer, and draped the blanket over their bodies. Before he fell asleep, he felt Pepper bury her face further into his chest, making his lips form the widest smile. He loved falling asleep with her. The rest of the movie ran in the background as they both slept in each other's arms.


	5. Day 5: Iron Man 3

The various Iron Man suits that flew around them blew up like fireworks. Pepper had never seen anything like it. They looked amazing, but she knew Tony was reluctant to blow up his own suits—his own mechanical creations he made with his bare hands. She was proud of him, and very happy to see what great lengths he'd go to for her. She couldn't be any more proud of him, and the man he's become.

Pepper felt his lips press against the side of her head, and she responded with a tight hug. She closed her eyes, ignored the flames around them, and buried her head into his shoulder, breathing in his scent and basking in his presence. They were finally together, and safe.

And then she realized where they were.

"Um…" She hummed, pulling away from him. He let his hands rest on her waist, pulling her in only slightly. He watched her carefully, making sure she was okay.

"Hm?" He hummed, affectionately rubbing her waist with his thumb. His eyes were a soft shade of brown; calm and content. He finally had his Pepper, safe and sound. All he wanted to do was crawl under the sheets with her and snuggling into her arms.

She looked a little worried. "How are we going to get off this place?" She asked him, looking around, and only seeing water. Occasionally, they'd hear parts of the oil rig, or parts from his suits, fall to the ground.

He placed his hands on her shoulders in reassurance. "Don't worry, I told Rhodey to drop off the President, and come right back to pick us up."

Pepper turned to him and raised her eyebrow, questioning his plan. Tony merely smiled and scratched his head.

"Yeah… how long he'll take, I have no idea." He smiled, taking her hands in his. Pepper hesitated to pull hers away.

"Tony," She said with a worried tone. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Hurt me?" He asked, puzzled by her words. He forgot about the Extremis. It was still in her body, eagerly awaiting to be released. "Oh…" He hated himself for letting it happen to her. She should have never been harmed, or tested on, in the first place. He felt horrible. "…Like I said, I figured this thing out when I was drunk." He tried to smile. "You're in good hands, Pep. I'll fix you, no problem." He nodded in reassurance. Little did he know, there would be multiple attempts in the future when trying to rid her of the Extremis, and along the way, he'll feel sad and hopeless, but they help each other through it.

Pepper was listening to him, but at the same time, she wasn't. What caught her attention was the blood that dribbled down his left cheek. The blood had dripped down to his chin and onto his shirt, staining it a few times. The blood was a little fresh, but not dry. The spot under his eye did not look good, nor did the cut on the bridge of his nose. He looked banged up and exhausted, but he still had the energy to tease her in a heartbeat.

"Oh my god." Pepper shrieked.

Tony freaked out and looked behind himself in panic, afraid that Killian was still alive. "What-what!?" He was ready for battle, but not so much, since he just remembered he blew up his suits.

Pepper stepped closer in front of him and cupped his face with her hands, examining the wound under his eye. He winced in pain as her hands turned his head for him. He frowned and pouted as her thumb worked over the lines of blood that spilled down his cheek.

His arms came up to latch onto her wrists, trying to pry himself away from the renowned 'Nurse Pepper' he was so used to when he got home from bad missions. She didn't budge; she kept examining his wounds with soft, gentle hands.

"Are you okay?" She asked frantically, forgetting about the Extremis.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He tried to move away. "Hey-hey-hey, not so rough." He whined. "I'm feeling like a delicate flower right now, Honey." She thought she heard him whimper.

She got frustrated and whacked his hands away. "Oh, stop being such a baby." She scolded him.

"No—Stop—Abuse! Abuse!" He playfully pulled away from her.

"Would you stop—Anthony Edward Stark!" She shouted. "You—Stop being such a fuss!" She held onto his face.

"But, Baby—ow, that hurts." He frowned, turning his face away from her.

"I'll make it hurt even more if you don't stop moving!"

Rhodey came up from the side with a small motor boat and casually parked it on the side of the rig. He watched and grinned at the couple in front of him. It was the most endearing sight he's seen in a while. Of all the years he's known Tony Stark, he's never seen him so free, happy, and affectionate. It was quite a sight to remember.

"Hey," Rhodey called out.

The couple froze in their place; they both turned with deer-in-the-headlight eyes. Pepper hands slid down Tony's face and fell to her sides. Tony blushed and wrapped his arm around Pepper, keeping her close to him. He almost lost her a few minutes ago; he didn't want it to happen again.

"You seals ready to leave, or should I come back later and bring more grapes?" Rhodey asked with a wide teasing grin.

"A little late, aren't you?" Tony asked with a smug smile.

Rhodey breathed a laugh. "I guess I should feel lucky I didn't walk in on you two, again."

"Funny. Funny, funny, funny." He repeated with a relaxed smirk, as they walked towards the boat. Pepper climbed in first. "We were here first." Tony commented. "Get your own oil rig." Pepper could only smile at the two men and their quarrel.

Rhodey pressed his lips together and raised his eyebrow at him. "Get your own boat." He quipped.

Tony grinned.

"This is the worst boat I've ever seen, by the way." Tony crossed his arms across his chest and sat down on the bench in the back, right next to Pepper. "Terrible choice. I'd get a yacht at least, maybe even a sailing boat."

Rhodey shook his head and turned to Pepper. "How do you put up with this?" He turned around to move the right levers to get the boat moving. The last thing he wanted to do was stay at the oil rig any longer than he should.

"I probably could've swam my way back." Tony grumbled under his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"How many years have I worked for him, James?" Pepper asked sarcastically.

Rhodey started to nod. "Okay, point taken."

Pepper smiled warmly at Rhodey, and then turned to look at a very grumpy Tony. She brought her hand up to the back of his neck, and let her fingers play with his hair. Tony eventually relaxed under her hand and dipped his head to the side to rest on her shoulder.

Pepper turned her body a bit and cupped Tony's face with her hands again. This time, he let her look at his wounds. He felt relieved to leave the oil rig, especially since nothing but bad memories littered the place. He tried his best to keep the image of Pepper falling two hundred feet, into a pit of fire, in the back of his head, but even then, all he could think about was his shallow promise that he'd catch her.

He frowned and felt sorrow fill his body. Pepper was in the middle of wiping the blood off his cheek with a damp cloth when she heard him mumble a "sorry".

Pepper stopped what she was doing and stared at him, reading him as best as she could. She couldn't imagine how he felt. Every single time he left to go on a mission, she worried. She wouldn't stop worrying until he was back in her arms, resting peacefully. What he must've felt at that moment when her fingers brushed against his, as she fell into the fiery pits below, was beyond anything she has ever felt in her life.

"I'm… I'm sorry I didn't'…" Tony pressed his lips together and began to look away. He couldn't look at her. He felt like he disappointed her—like he failed her. What kind of superhero was he? He saved thirteen people that fell out of a plane, and yet he couldn't stop his girlfriend from falling.

"Hey," She whispered, moving a little to the side so he'd face her. When he did finally face her, she could only flash an endearing grin. He looked so hurt and lost. "Don't." she shook her head. "Just don't. I don't want to think about it."

Pepper wrapped her arms around Tony's waist and pressed herself against him, hugging him tightly. Her cheek was pressed against his shoulder. His small frown turned into a wide loving smile when he felt her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her to him, not wanting to let go. He kissed the top of her head and let his cheek rest against hers, whispering an 'I love you' to her.

Rhodey glanced behind him, worried about the couple in the back, and eventually did a double take when he saw them pressed against one another in an affectionate hug. He decided to mind his own business and let the two have their much needed moment. He only hoped they didn't start tearing each other's clothes off until they made it back to shore. He didn't need to experience it, again. Once was enough for him.


	6. Day 6: Alternate Universe (AU)

**A/N:** This one is quite long - just shy of 8,000 words. I've always wanted to write a multi-chapter Pepperony Highschool AU, but I've never found the time to. Here's a 'short' take on one of my ideas.

I hope you like it, and as always, thanks for reading!

* * *

Virginia 'Pepper' Potts and her parents moved to Malibu when she was three years old. One of their neighbors was the Stark family. The famous Stark household also had a three year old son, Anthony Edward Stark. The two families were more than happy with each other; Howard Stark and John Potts got together perfect, as Mr. Potts was always interested in Mr. Stark's business endeavors, and Mr. Stark was always overjoyed to chat with someone that had the same interests as himself.

The two families lived peacefully next to each other. From various neighborly outings and dinners, Virginia and Anthony soon became very good friends. They played together, did homework together, joked around together, and teased each other until no end. They called each other when they couldn't sleep, when they had something on their mind, and even when they needed to rant. They were there for each other, and they cherished what they had together.

In Middle School, Tony gave Virginia her nickname 'Pepper', because of all the freckles on her face. Pepper was forced to call him 'Tony', since he didn't like being called Anthony, because it reminded him of his mother when she got angry at him.

They always spent nights at each other's house during the weekends. They'd stay up watching movies, talking, or doing homework. Tony would always make her laugh by doing ridiculous things, and Pepper would match his teasing and sass with some of her own. They seemed like the perfect match for a couple, but they were just good friends, and everyone knew they were, even their new friends, James Rhodes and Harold 'Happy' Hogan, but some always asked if they were something more. And, of course, Pepper and Tony asked themselves that every day.

When High School hit, everything changed. It was towards the end of their first year when _it_ happened.

Pepper hadn't liked Physics, and Tony thoroughly enjoyed the subject, so he spent a few nights helping her with her homework and studying with her. They sat close next to each other. Tony's cologne was invading Pepper's senses, and his knee was pressed against hers. He was in her personal space, but she was used to it, so she didn't push him away. He occasionally leaned forward, moving his face right above hers, to check her work, to see if she was doing everything correct.

When he cracked jokes, she'd elbow him in the chest and smile a little, and he'd wrap his arm around her and laugh, enjoying every bit of her smile. He rest his chin on her shoulder a few times, pointing out her calculation mistakes. She blushed a few times, feeling his breath hot on her skin.

He laid back, as she closed her Physics book.

"Thanks for helping me, again, Tony." She said, smiling warmly at him.

"No problem. Anything for my Pepper." He gave her a wide, toothy grin.

She rolled her eyes; she was all too familiar with his jokes. She didn't want to leave at that moment, so she stayed around to watch some television with him. They lounged on the couch together, watching the latest episode of their favorite show. Tony had his arm around the back of the couch, with his back against a corner.

"So, you going to ask Victoria out?" Pepper asked out of the blue.

Tony smirked. "Nah."

"How come? She's been crushing on you for years." Pepper said, slowly leaning into his shoulder.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I've noticed."

"You should ask her out." Pepper nodded to him.

"I'm not that interested, though." Tony pressed his lips together, feeling her fall into his chest. He smiled to himself as he felt her warm body press against his.

She turned her head around to face him. "Have someone else in mind?"

He swallowed hard. Her lips were so close to his, and he could smell the vanilla scent of her shampoo. All of his senses were going on overload, and he desperately wanted to do something. "Kind of."

"Oh, can I take a guess?" Pepper asked giddily. "Is it the girl in our Physics class, Maya? She's pretty smart. Oh—Tanya, from Statistics—or is it Anya from P.E.?"

He stared at her lips, wanting to know what they felt like against his. His lips parted slightly, day dreaming about what it would be like to wrap his arms around her, and nuzzle her neck with his nose. He was blushing now, and Pepper took it as a sign that one of her answers was correct.

"Okay, so it's one of them." She turned around now, excited to know who Tony's been crushing over. She folded one of her legs under herself, and let the other dangle off the edge of the couch. To Tony, it felt like she was mere inches away from his face.

Yes, Pepper had a crush on Tony, and she thought about him for a long time. They had a lot in common, and they were really good friends, so everything already fell into place if they ever wanted to be in a relationship, but she valued his friendship more than anything.

"It has to be Maya." Pepper said with glee. "She's very much into science, and so are you. Maybe you should—"

Tony took it. He took the chance. He threw everything in front of him, on the table, and took the chance he's been waiting for.

He pressed his lips against hers with his eyes closed. She sat there, surprised and shocked. She froze in her spot; she didn't exactly know what to do, because what was happening hadn't registered in her brain yet.

He felt her warm, soft lips against his and moved his hands to rest on her waist. He pushed himself closer to her, wanting to enjoy every single second of their kiss. Tony pulled away after a few seconds more. He wanted to know how she felt about it, and what he saw didn't surprise him.

Pepper was wide eyed and shocked. She didn't push him away, which was a plus for Tony, but it was only because she didn't know how to feel about him kissing her. He leaned forward and tilted his head to the side. Pepper didn't want to admit it, but his nervousness was kind of cute.

_Wait, what are you thinking? He just kissed you! Your best friend kissed you—what are you going to do?_, Pepper scolded herself. "No." She murmured, shaking her head slightly.

Tony's heart dropped. His smile instantly turned into a frown. He could feel every piece of happiness slip away from him. "What?"

"No-no-no-no, we can't." Pepper sounded upset and frustrated. She got up from the couch and wanted to walk away, but Tony trailed after her, trying to stop her from leaving.

"What do you mean, 'we can't'?" Tony asked, almost shouting. Thank god his parents weren't home.

Pepper spun around to face him. She saw the heartbroken expression on his face, and she felt her stomach churn. "We can't do this, Tony."

"Why?" He asked, frustrated and distraught. "We've been dancing around each other since Middle School, Pepper. How long did you think we could draw this out before something happened?"

She shook her head at him, and walked to her books and bag on the table. She couldn't—she had to leave. She felt like she was suffocating.

"Pepper…" Tony said, achingly. "…Please don't—let's at least talk about this."

"Talk!?" Pepper snapped, whipping around to face him. "We _could've_ talked about it, Tony, but you decided it was okay to skip the mature part and jump straight to kissing."

"Fine, it was wrong for me to kiss you like that, and I'm sorry." He admitted. "But, at least tell me why you don't want this. We both wanted this, and I could tell, for the longest time, you've wanted it too."

Pepper stared at him, masking her pain with anger. He was right. She did want it. "You're right." She said calmly. "I did want this, Tony. I've wanted it for so long, but I got over it." Her words felt like a knife to the heart. "I like our friendship, Tony. I like what we have—what we've _had_ since we were little kids."

"We're not little kids anymore, Pepper." He shot back.

"No, we're not, but I'm not risking our friendship for a relationship." She told him. He pressed his lips together and looked away, feeling defeated and rejected. She felt bad; she never wanted to hurt him. "If we end up together, something could go wrong." He slowly looked up to face her, listening intently. "And if that something ruins our relationship _and_ our friendship…" She sighed. "I don't want to lose my best friend."

She could see the pain in his eyes, and it destroyed her. With the most soft and painful voice she's ever heard, he replied, "We'll always be best friends, Pepper."

"But, something could happen, and I don't want to risk that." And with that, she grabbed her things. "Thanks for helping me with the homework." She quickly said, before hastily leaving through the front door.

Tony shook his head. _I blew it._ He pressed his hands against the side of his head; in frustration and anger, he internally yelled at himself. He had never felt such pain in his life before.

After that day, Pepper and Tony were never the same. They still talked to each other, and hung out, at school, but not with the same friendliness and closeness as they had before. They slowly stopped hanging out outside of school; Tony didn't feel comfortable being alone with her. Their friendship was slowly disappearing. Both of their families had been too busy to have regular dinner dates since Middle School, but they still both greet each other when they see each other. Pepper and Tony do the same, but only with small waves and smiles. Pepper and Tony also hadn't spent a summer together since then, and it was weird at first, but they each had their own group of friends to hang out with.

In the beginning of their third year, Tony asked Victoria out on a date. Pepper was a bit jealous, but she never admitted it. She understood where her and Tony's friendship was at, so she knew she had no reason to be jealous or angry. A few weeks later, Tony and Victoria had become a couple. From a distance, anyone could tell they were happy together, which made Pepper that much more upset. But, she had to be happy for him.

With Tony's new relationship, he and Pepper had regained a healthy friendship. They didn't hang out, but they did talk to each other more. She saw Tony and Victoria quite frequently; she'd see them leaving his house, or driving up the driveway. The couple were nothing but giggles, happiness—basically, everything a great relationship should be.

Their relationship made Pepper feel like crap; when she saw them, she saw herself and Tony.

Tony, on the other hand, had feelings for Victoria, and he adored her, but she wasn't Pepper. And every single time he saw Victoria's blonde hair, he had wished it was Pepper's orange hair.

It was three weeks into their fourth, and last, year of High School, when Pepper's father told her some bad news.

Pepper raced down the stairs with her backpack in hand. She hurried through the kitchen, and grabbed a piece of toast and took a long swig of orange juice. Her father was coming down the stairs when she was about to leave.

"Hi, Dad!" She said hastily. "Bye, Dad!" She said, opening the front door.

"Whoa, hey-hey-hey." Her dad said, fixing his tie. "Where's the fire?" He asked jokingly.

Pepper popped the bread in her mouth. "No time, Dad. Late."

"Honey, do you have a minute?"

Pepper stopped in front of the open door. She could see Tony opening the driver side door of his car. "Um… Is it important?" She asked, looking back up at him.

"Depends on how you see it." Her father said, walking down the stairs. Pepper followed him into the living room. He gestured for her to sit down. "Now," he started off. Pepper was quite nervous. Whenever her father asked her to sit down on the couch, she was either in trouble, or something major was happening. "Your mother and I love you very much—"

"Oh god, please don't tell me you guys are getting a divorce." Pepper cringed, already feeling her heart break.

"What?" Her father exclaimed. "No, no. We aren't."

"Oh." Pepper let out a sigh of relief. "Then what's this about? Whatever happened, I didn't do it." She began to babble. "Maybe I did it, and maybe it looked like I did it, but I didn't do it."

Her father smiled lovingly. "I already know your mother ate all the chocolate from the cabinet, so you don't have to worry about that."

"I helped, but okay." Pepper shrugged with a small grin.

Her father paused. The look on his face was more serious than angry, and this scared her. "Pepper, I… I got a job offer."

"What!?" Pepper exclaimed, smiling widely. This wasn't bad news after all. "Oh my god, Dad, I'm so happy for you."

"Yep." He grinned widely. "Jorge Tech Industries offered me a job, and the pay is almost twice the amount I'm getting now." Pepper was now giddy with excitement, but her father wasn't excited as she was, which let off an alarm in her head. Her wide smile turned into a big frown.

"There's a catch…" Pepper's stomach dropped. "Isn't there?"

Her father, unfortunately, nodded. "There is, Honey. Although the company is based in Los Angeles, they want me to run one of their departments in Australia."

Pepper felt like time stopped. She didn't know what to say, or how to feel. "Australia?"

Her father nodded. "I know this is big news, since we've lived here for a long time, but this a job I've wanted my entire life, and I know you must hate me—"

"No." Pepper shook her head, trying to fight the tears that threatened to run down her face. She flashed a brave smile. "I don't hate you, Dad. I'm happy for you. You deserve this job."

He knew she wasn't okay with it, but he admired her bravery and maturity. "Thank you, Honey."

"When do we have to leave?" She asked.

"Um, the company wants me to be there for the orientation."

Pepper stared at him, feeling empty. "When is orientation?" She asked softly.

"The month after next month - October. So, we'll have to leave in three months to get situated, and for you to get used to your new school." Her father replied.

"My new… school…" Pepper pressed her lips together and felt her anger rise. She didn't want to go to a new school. It was her last year at High School, and she wanted to finish it with her friends… and Tony. She didn't want to finish it with people she barely knew.

"I know it sounds bad, Honey, and I'm very sorry this is happening." He tried to tell her.

"No, it's okay." She lied and flashed a fake smile. "I understand." She had to leave. She needed to be alone with her own thoughts. "Um, can I leave? I'm already late as it is."

"Sure." Her father replied softly. "Sure. I'll see you later tonight."

Pepper grabbed her bag and got up from the couch. She couldn't look at him. "Bye." She said quickly, before she left the house. She closed the door behind her, jumped in her car, and drove off as fast as she could. Tears streamed down her face as she thought about it more – leaving all her friends and her childhood behind… and leaving Tony behind. She parked her car in their school's lot and turned off the engine. She sat there, unable to move. She slowly looked up at her beloved High School that gave her so many memories, good and bad. Another tear ran down her face, but she quickly wiped it away. She exhaled deeply and tried her best to cover up the remains of her tears.

She nearly jumped when she heard a knock on her door. When she looked up, she saw Tony. He looked worried.

She sniffed a few times and grabbed her bag from the passenger seat. He backed away from her car as she climbed out of it. She slammed the door pretty hard.

"Hey," Tony greeted her cautiously.

"Hey." Pepper replied coldly.

"You okay?" He asked, curious and worried at the same time.

Pepper didn't face him. She couldn't look at him. She didn't want to risk breaking down in front of him. "Yeah. I'm fine."

He trailed after her with one backpack strap hung over his shoulder. "You sure? I know tears when I see them."

Pepper turned around, almost instantly. She wanted to be left alone, and she knew, if she didn't say anything, he'd follow her, and ask more questions. "I'm fine. Please, just drop it, okay?" Her tone sounded a little heartless, and she felt bad, but she couldn't stay around him.

Tony stopped in his tracks and backed off a bit. He knew when to give her space; knowing her since childhood has taught him that much. "Okay." He replied with an apologetic tone. "Sorry." He mumbled.

Pepper left as quick as she could, and she didn't look back.

"What?!" Emily, her friend shouted. Pepper and eight of her closest friends sat at the bleachers near the baseball field. She didn't want the entire school to know. She only wanted her closest friends to hear it first.

"You can't leave…" Phoebe, one of her other friends that sat in the row below them, said in sorrow.

"I have to." Pepper tried to smile, but couldn't. "I don't want to leave, trust me, but it's my dad's dream job. I don't want to be the reason why he isn't happy with his life."

Tanya pressed her lips together and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We're here for you, so if your father kicks you out of the house, or something, you're always welcome to stay with my family."

Pepper smiled warmly. "Thanks, Tanya." Tanya nodded in response.

"When do you have to leave?" Jill, who sat next to Phoebe, asked.

"My dad wants us to leave in three weeks." Pepper relied with a short nod.

"Three weeks!?" Phoebe shouted.

"Yup." Pepper sighed. "Three weeks to pack everything up and leave. Three weeks until I touch land in Australia and start my new life there."

"B-b-but, it's your last year here. Can't you at least stay until the end of it, and then move to Australia?" Jill didn't want Pepper to go. Jill was actually one of the first friends she made, back in Elementary School.

"I wish…" Pepper frowned.

"And then there's Senior Prom, and the Winter Formal…" Tanya went on, making Pepper feel worse.

"Yes, I know, you guys. I'll be missing a lot, and worst of all, I won't be able to do anything of that stuff with you guys." Pepper said in sorrow.

"The real question is…" Emily narrowed her eyes at Pepper. "…Are you going to tell _him_?"

All eyes were on Pepper now. Pepper knew who they were talking about, but she always like to pretend that she didn't know.

"Him?" Pepper asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Him." Emily nodded. She then rolled her eyes. "I'm talking about Tony Stark."

"Oh."

"You two used to be great friends—hell, I thought you two were going to get together. And you still won't tell us what happened." Emily said worriedly.

Pepper ignored her comment. Emily already knew Pepper didn't want to talk about it.

"Even if something, that you don't want to tell us, happened between you two… Tony does deserve to know, Pepper. I'm actually surprised you didn't tell him before us." Emily looked at her in sincerity and kindness. Pepper didn't know how she was going to tell Tony. Emily was right, Tony did deserve to know, but so much has happened between them, she didn't know if she could.

"We're going to miss you…" Happy said, munching on one of the cafeteria's sandwich.

"Yeah." Rhodey said, frowning. "We really are…" He sighed to himself. "But jobs are jobs. If it makes your dad happy…"

"That's exactly what I told him." Pepper responded, eating a forkful of her salad. "But even then, it hurts. I don't want to leave this, or any of you, behind." She said, looking all around her. She can see her friends hanging out in the middle of the quad, and she can see Tony and Victoria chatting it up with some of Tony's friends. She saw some people she didn't know, and some people she had wished she'd known.

Rhodey glanced over at Tony and Victoria. Victoria was a nice person, and she treated Tony well, but he had wished Tony and Pepper were together. Tony told Rhodey and Happy what happened so the four of them didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward around each other.

"Have you told him yet?" Rhodey asked. Happy didn't need to look up from his sandwich to know who he was talking about.

"No." Pepper turned to face Rhodey. "Not yet."

"You really should." Happy said with a full mouth.

"I know—And please don't tell him anything. He needs to know, but _I_ need to be the one to tell him." Pepper pressed her lips together

Rhodey and Happy nodded. They both understood what position she was in, after all, Tony and Pepper were their best friends, too. And they always, no matter what, looked out for them.

After a hard day at school, Pepper dropped her backpack on top of her desk in her room, groaned loudly, and collapsed on top of her bed. She put an arm over her eyes and sighed to herself. She was exhausted, and crying on the way to and from school didn't help. She rolled over and looked at the pictures on her wall; they were pictures of her and her friends, and Rhodey and Happy, and even Tony. They were all smiling together, spending time together, and having a blast.

She couldn't believe she was leaving all of it behind.

_Tony_… She thought to herself. _…I have to tell him. It's not like you two are bad terms._

Pepper hopped off her bed and lazily walked down the stairs. She was questioning her actions with each step. _What if he hates me because of what happened this morning? Oh god, Virginia. Just tell him. You've know each other since Pre-School. He deserves to know._

Before she knew it, she was walking over to her neighbor's front door—Tony's front door. She held in a deep breath and knocked hard on the door. Tony tended to have loud music on, so a soft, or regular, knock could never grab his attention.

Tony opened the door a few seconds later. He was shocked to see Pepper at his doorstep.

"Pepper?" Tony asked with a light smile.

"Hey."

"Hey." He greeted back sweetly. "What's up?" He didn't sound like their encounter earlier that day had any effect on him.

"Um, I kind of need to talk to you." Pepper told him, pressing her lips together, unsure if it was the right time.

"Oh, is it about this morning?"

Pepper gave him a short nod. "Yeah. Is it okay if I come in—or we could step outside..." She shrugged a bit, unsure of what to say to him. The inside of his home haunted her with the memories of their kiss, and their argument afterwards, so they both knew stepping outside was the better choice.

"Um..." He scratched the back of his head and looked behind him. It seemed like he was busy.

"Babe, who's at the door?" Victoria asked as she stood beside him. "Oh," She smiled, joyfully. "Hey, Pepper."

Pepper gave her a fake, but well covered, smile. "Hey, Victoria." She greeted back. _Why did she have to be everywhere with him?_

"Victoria, do you think you could give Pepper and I a little space?" Tony asked, preparing to step outside.

"Sure." Victoria nodded, looking between them. She knew they were best friends, and she thought there was something between them. Was she jealous? Yes, but after Tony asked her out, all of her jealousy disappeared.

Pepper began to back away with a smile. "No, no. It's okay." _He's happy, Virginia. Just let it go._

Tony gave her a worried look. "What?"

"It's fine." Pepper kept another fake smile. "You two look busy, and I feel bad for intruding." _Just… let it go._

"Pepper…" Tony breathed with a small frown. When Pepper wanted to talk to him about something, it was always very serious. And what made him more worried was the fact that she didn't text him or call him, but instead, knocked on his door.

"It's fine. It really is." Pepper lied. Victoria now felt bad. "I'll see you guys at school tomorrow."

Tony felt like Pepper was pushing him away. Inch by inch, he felt their friendship slip from between his fingers. Ever since he kissed her, they stopped hanging out. They stopped talking regularly; the only time they talked to each other was when they passed each other in the hallway, or when they saw each other in class. And even then, they only greeted each other.

He watched Pepper walk away without another word. He felt remorse, but he also felt anger. He told her she would always be his best friend, and she told him she didn't want a relationship because she didn't want to lose their friendship. But now, their friendship is practically disappearing with each passing day.

A week later.

"Good morning, Howard and Maria." Mr. Potts greeted from the driveway.

Howard turned to see John in casual clothes. He furrowed his eyebrows; he knew John Potts enough to know that he never went to work in casual clothes, no matter what day it was.

Maria waved to John and told Howard she'd warm up the car. Howard nodded and walked over to their neighbor.

"What's with the casual clothing?" Howard asked in a friendly tone. "Going golfing?"

"Hah." John laughed. "You know I suck at golf." Howard smirked. Howard took John out for a friendly golfing match. John barely made one in the hole. "It's my last week at work, so I thought I should end it with a bang." He gestured to his attire.

"Last week?" Howard asked worriedly. "Did they let you go?"

"Oh no." John shook his head. "I got a job offer from Jorge Tech Industries."

"Oh." Howard raised his eyebrows in minor shock. "They're a great company to work for."

"Yeah…" John smiled weakly. "…Only catch is the location."

"They moving you out to Riverside?" Howard asked.

"Worse. They're moving me to Australia."

Howard widened his eyes. "Australia? Wow. And the whole family is moving?"

"Yup. Already had a talk with Virginia about it. She's sad to leave, but she understands."

"Oh boy. Anthony isn't going to be happy about it."

John nodded and looked at the house he was going to leave behind. "Yeah." The house held so many memories for him and his family. It pained him to leave it. "I'm sure Virginia has told him already. Poor kids. They've been through so much together."

Howard nodded in sorrow. "Yeah. Well, if you ever have a going away party, let us know. I'm sure Maria would be more than happy to attend, and she'll probably make her famous apple pie if you do." He winked at John. John merely laughed and nodded.

"We'll throw something, and I'll be sure to get a bite of that apple pie before I go."

Five days later; a week before the Potts had to leave.

John and Betty Potts invited everyone to their small going away party. Howard and Maria Stark were invited, and offered to make dessert. Pepper invited all of her closest friends, and even Rhodey and Happy.

Pepper hadn't told Tony yet. She was either too busy at school with school work or softball, or too busy helping her parents pack everything up.

Tony was lounging in the living room on the couch, watching TV and playing video games, when his parents were ready to head over to the Potts' party.

"Tony?" Howard asked, looking around.

"In here, Dad." Tony said, button mashing on his Nintendo 3DS.

"You coming with us to the Potts'?" Howard thought Tony knew Pepper was leaving.

Tony thought about it for a minute. Pepper had been avoiding him for the past couple weeks, so he felt like had to reciprocate with the same feelings. "Nope. Victoria is picking me up soon. We're going bowling with a couple of friends."

Howard frowned in sorrow. He knew teenagers coped in different ways, so he respected Tony's actions and thought of it as his coping mechanism. Avoidance was one of the common ones.

"Okay, well, if you need us, we'll be next door." He told his son.

"Okay." Tony waved a hand at them, as he began to drown his thoughts in his video game. He didn't want to think about Pepper, because when he did, all he thought about was their kiss, and how they'll never be together.

Pepper saw Howard and Maria enter through the front door, but she didn't see any sign of Tony. She sighed and frowned. She thought he'd come and ask questions if they threw a going away party. _He doesn't care, Virginia,_ she told herself. She felt a tear stroll down her cheek without warning. _Just forget about him. You're moving to Australia. You'll find someone better there._

It was the last day.

For the last week at school, Pepper did her best to hang out with her friends as much as possible. She went out to dinner with them, and went to the arcade with Rhodey and Happy a few times. Everything was slowly winding down, and the more she thought about moving, the more it hurt less. She'll always miss her friends, her house, and all the memories the city had for her. She'll miss it all.

It was a Thursday, and Tony walked in late. Pepper had left the school Wednesday, since her family had a flight Thursday night and needed to help her parents pack the rest of the house up.

Tony sat down in his AP Calculus class and yawned. He didn't want to be there. He was too smart for the class anyways, so he did what he always did when he got bored. He let his eyes wander around the room; it was only then he noticed the empty seat in the middle of the room.

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked around the room. Rhodey was there, Emily was there, and Tanya was there. Why was Pepper not there? Pepper was rarely late to class.

Tony leaned over and tapped on Emily's desk. Emily sat right behind Rhodey.

"Hey," He whispered. "Emily."

Emily stopped taking notes and glanced over at him. "Hm?" She hummed.

"Where's Pepper?" He asked worriedly. "Is she sick?"

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Pepper left."

Tony's heart dropped. His eyes widened and his chest started to ache. "What?"

"Didn't Pepper tell you?" Rhodey joined in on the conversation. "Pepper is moving. Her dad got a new job."

Tony looked at the both of them. "What?" He repeated. He shook his head a bit, trying to ignore all the pain and anguish he felt. "Where is she moving?"

"Australia." Emily replied sadly. "I thought she told you. She said she would."

That's when everything hit Tony in the face, like a train. He heard everyone's voices in his head. He heard all of them at once, and it broke his heart in every place imaginable.

"_Hey, are you okay?" He asked Pepper. He saw her crying in her car, and he saw her desperately trying to wipe them away._

"_I'm fine…" She told him coldly. "…Please, just drop it, okay?"_

…

_He opened the door and saw Pepper standing there. She didn't look happy. She looked sad, depressed, and emotionally weak. _

"_Pepper?" He asked._

"_Hey. I kind of need to talk to you…" Pepper told him._

_Victoria always had bad timing. "Oh, hey, Pepper." He heard his girlfriend say._

"_Hey, Victoria." Pepper didn't sound happy at all, he even saw through her fake smile._

"_Victoria, do you think you could give Pepper and I a little space?" He asked her. She nodded with full approval, but Pepper backed away._

"_No, it's fine. You two look busy, and I feel bad for intruding." She told him, just before she walked away. He knew she wasn't okay. He knew something was wrong, but he didn't press her for any information._

…

"_Hey, we're going to over to the Potts', you coming?" Howard asked him._

_Tony could smell the apple pie from a mile away. His parents were lucky he didn't eat the entire thing right as it came out of the oven. "Nope." _

_An apple pie usually meant something exciting happened, or something bad happened, but Tony didn't think anything of it._

…

Tony's mouth gaped as everything came together, and he felt like shit. He could feel his heart breaking – he could barely breath at this point.

"E-Emily." He stammered. "Did she already leave?" _Please say no. Please… Please say no_, he thought to himself.

"I don't think so. She said she was leaving tonight. She's probably at home, packing."

Without another word, Tony raced out of the classroom. He didn't care if the teacher yelled at him to come back. He didn't care if they school threatened to suspend him, for whatever reason. All he knew was that he needed to see her.

He was enraged that she didn't tell him. He was absolutely furious, but he was also hurt. He could feel his body start to give out.

What hurt more than their argument after he kissed her, was the fact that she didn't tell him. Did she think he wasn't worthy of knowing? Did she think he didn't care!? He was internally yelling at himself as he sped down the roads.

Tony saw the trunk of her car open and full of labeled boxes, taped up and ready to be taken. And then he saw Pepper. She was his best friend. Of course he cared about her, and of course he loved her. He'd do anything for her. He didn't realize how much he loved her until then. His chest hurt. His whole body hurt, as he parked his car, climbed out of the driver side seat, and stormed over to her car.

Pepper moved a few boxes around in her trunk, picked one up from beside her feet, and did her best to squeeze it in. _This was it._ She thought to herself with a lopsided frown. She didn't want to mourn for another second.

When she slammed her trunk down, she noticed a figure next to her car. She nearly jumped out of her own body in surprise.

"Tony." She said, breathless and shocked. "Wh-What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school—"

"Stop." He shouted at her. He looked out of breath and emotionally unstable, and he looked absolutely pissed. "Why." He yelled again.

"Why, wh—"

"Why didn't you tell me!?" Tears escaped his eyes, and without a blink, they fell down his cheeks.

Pepper glanced away and sighed. "Tony—"

"Don't 'Tony' me!" He stepped closer to her. "We've been friends for how long!?" He paused. She didn't answer; she only stared at him in remorse. "We've known each other since we were little, and you don't fucking tell me you're leaving!?"

"I didn't—"

"You didn't think I cared!?" He shouted again, angry and heartbroken.

"I didn't know what to think, Tony!" She shouted back. "You're with Victoria now!"

"What the fuck does Victoria have to do with this?" He cursed at her. "This is _you_ and _me_, Pepper! I love _you_." She began to widen her eyes at him. "I will _always_ love you. I will _never_ love Victoria as much as I love you. And to think that you thought I didn't care killed me, Pepper."

Pepper's mouth gaped. Tears began to stream down her face as well.

He clenched his fists in a ball, and felt all the stress and anger leave his body. Tears still ran down his cheeks.

"You are the only person I care about—the only person I think about." He told her with saddened eyes. He looked away, trying to fight back the tears, but they never stopped. "Why…" His voice squeaked. "Why didn't you tell me?" His voice broke her heart.

Pepper didn't have any words to say to him. She didn't know what to say.

"Screw it. Fuck everything you told me." He cursed again.

She thought he was going to leave; he was angry and upset with her. She thought, at this point, that their friendship was over—whatever they had, was over.

She moved forward to stop him from leaving. She couldn't let him leave. "Tony—"

He took another step forward and pressed his lips against hers. He cupped her cheeks with his hands and kissed her hard. With each kiss he sent her, she sent one back. They weren't kissing for fun, and they weren't kissing because they wanted to take a risk. They were kissing because they didn't want to leave each other. Tony kissed her as tears escaped his eyes. His hands that were cupping her cheeks slid down to her waist. He held her against him as he felt her arms wrap around his neck, pressing them together.

Tony felt his head spin; his body jump started his heart when he felt her kiss back. He's wanted it for so long, it almost felt like a dream.

When Pepper felt Tony's soft lips against hers, warm and smooth, she nearly fainted. She started to dip back, unable to keep up with what's happening. That's when he brought his hands to her waist and her arms around his neck. They both wanted this.

When they pulled away, they were both in awe.

"Weird?" Tony asked, narrowing his eyes.

Pepper smiled and shook her head slightly. She tried her best to blink away the tears. "No. It's not weird."

"No, right? Great." He grinned and sniffed. "Run that by me again." He kissed her once more.

When he pulled away, he frantically shook his head. "I can't, Pepper." He said.

Pepper's heart sank for a second. "Can't what? If this is revenge for our last kiss—"

"No." He held her closer to him. "I can't let you leave. I don't want you to leave. Please don't leave." He begged her. "Please, Pepper."

Pepper's lips formed a sad frown. "I don't have a choice, Tony."

"Everyone has a choice, Pepper." He shot back.

"Well, not everyone." She pressed her lips together. "This is my dad's dream job. I don't want to take that away from him." She had come to terms with moving to Australia days ago, but after he kissed her, she didn't like the idea of moving anymore. They finally had something going for them.

"You can't move to Australia—you can't move away from me for this 'dream job'. Can't he find a more local job?" Tony tried to run options through his head. He was trying to do anything he could to keep her there with him.

Pepper shook her head. "He's been talking about the pay for months, and the engineering projects he wants to work on—"

Tony's eyes suddenly widen, and his eyebrows suddenly furrowed. "Pep, what does your dad do?"

"He said something about Electrical Engineering." She responded. This made Tony smile like dork.

"You want me to do what?" Howard Stark asked. He was preparing a pepperoni pizza on the kitchen counter when Tony and Pepper walked in, asking him for a favor.

"Please, Dad." Tony begged. "I know you can find him a job at Stark Industries."

"Well," Howard shrugged. "While it is true, he still has to go through the application process, and that takes months. I'm not sure John would want to be unemployed—and whose to say he'll get the job?" He shrugged again. "I'm sorry, Anthony—"

"Dad, I know you can get him a job in an instant." He stared at his father with a solemn and determined look, while Pepper stood next to him, watching them talk. While she was up for the idea, she didn't know if it would work.

Howard looked up from the frozen pizza and raised an eyebrow. He looked at his son and saw the serious expression in his face. He had never seen him like that before. He didn't know if it was a good thing or bad thing. And then he saw his son's hand, holding Pepper's with quite a grip. _Definitely a good thing… I think_, he thought to himself.

Howard sighed and pressed his palms against the marble counter. "Okay, I'll tell you what." This made Tony relax a bit. "I will go over and talk to her father. If he decides to take the job, then I'll have the HR department look over his resume _and_," He saw Tony move to chime in, but pointed his index finger at him. "I'll introduce him to the Electrical Engineering team. He'll get a job on the team, but what position it may be will vary. I cannot guarantee him the same pay as he's being offered by Jorge Tech, either."

Tony nodded and looked over at Pepper. Pepper's lips formed a nervous smile, and her hand squeezed his. He tangled their fingers together in reassurance. He looked back at his father and smiled.

"Thanks, Dad."

Howard flashed a reassuring smile. "Just tell your mom I made this pizza and _didn't_ buy it from the store, and we're even."

Tony chuckled and nodded. Maria was smarter than that; she called Howard out on his bullshit later that night by asking him what ingredients he used, and how he made the dough. He couldn't properly answer any of them.

Howard had a small chat with Pepper's father, while Pepper and Tony lounged on his couch. Tony had an arm around her shoulder, letting her rest against his chest. He couldn't explain how much he missed her orange hair, and her scent. She played with his hand in nervousness, which he thought was adorable. They talked about their relationship and their friendship; they worked out the kinks in their friendship. They both apologized for the way they acted after he kissed her, and after she yelled at him. They both said they should've said something to prevent their friendship from going downhill, but neither one of them had the courage to.

He told her he was going to break up with Victoria, and he wasn't going to tip toe around the subject. He reassured Pepper that he'd explain everything to her. When he did, Victoria was not happy, but she was more understanding than he thought she would be.

When Howard told Pepper's father about the job offer at Stark Industries, he first asked if it was about Pepper and Tony. Howard, with a small smile, nodded, and John smirked. They talked about the job, and worked out some things, and eventually, Pepper's father decided to stay for another week to see where they'd place him on the team.

John explained to Pepper that if he didn't like where they would put him, then they'd have to move to Australia. Pepper understood and spent every moment she could that week with Tony, intimate or not. Pepper and Tony were at her house, watching Netflix in the living room when her father came home from Stark Industries.

They both turned their heads and carefully watched him. It was judgment day; it was the day he would be offered a specific spot and a specific salary.

Pepper held onto Tony's hand, squeezing it gently. "So, Dad?"

"Hm?" Her father hummed, putting his work bag on the dining table.

"How'd it go?" Pepper asked nervously. Tony was squeezing her hand in reassurance. The anticipation was killing them both.

John Potts began to smile. "Break my little girl's heart, Stark, and I'll kill you."

Tony grinned widely, and so did Pepper. They both looked at each other in pure bliss.

Pepper turned back to her father. "Does that mean you took the job?" She asked feverishly.

He nodded. "The pay is a little under what Jorge Tech is offering, but the position at Stark Industries is more exciting. So, yes, I took the job."

Pepper threw her hands up in celebration and ran up to hug her father. He hugged her back and jokingly eyed Tony, and gave him the 'I'm watching you' gesture. Tony nodded and laughed. He had never felt so relieved in his life.

The Starks and Potts celebrated together later that night. They all had dinner at the Potts' household, and it brought them all back to the good ole days when Pepper and Tony were little. They'd alternate between houses to host the dinner at, and they'd let Pepper and Tony off on their own while the grownups chatted with each other. It was truly a moment to cherish.

Pepper spent most of her time with Tony, studying with him and hanging out with him.

"I love you." He told her, nuzzling her neck with his nose. After they studied, they ended up in his room and on his bed. They laid there next to each other, cuddling and basking in each other's presence. Pepper tangled their legs together, while Tony had his hand on her waist, pressing her against him. She giggled as she felt him start to plant light kisses on her neck.

"I love you, too, Tony." She smiled, bringing her hand up to play with his hair. She found out that running her hand through his hair calmed him down, and it was possibly the best one yet.

The door was open, and Howard passed by their room.

"Your mom told me to tell you something about condoms."

Tony groaned against Pepper's neck. "Dad, we're not stupid!"

"Hey, you know how your mom is." He heard Howard yell from down the hall. "Don't make an apple pie with her just yet, Son!"

Tony blushed from embarrassment, all while Pepper laughed against chest.


	7. Day 7: Family

**A/N:** Hey everyone! This fic will conclude Pepperony Week. I'm very grateful for all the reviews and support everyone's given me, and I'm hoping to write a lot more in the future!

Thank you everyone for reading my fanfiction and celebrating Pepperony Week with me!

* * *

"Da-da!"

Tony was working on a new Iron Man suit in his workshop when he heard his two-year-old daughter's very familiar voice. He turned around and looked every which way, but his daughter was nowhere to be seen.

Maybe he was hearing things.

Tony got back to work and rummaged through his tools to find his wrench. He wiped his hands on the dirty cloth that hung over his shoulder, and grabbed his wrench. He tilted his body a bit to the right and stuck his head underneath the cavity of the chest plate. He stuck his hand inside the casing and stuck out his tongue, trying to get the right angle.

"C'mon." He whispered to himself as he extended his arm a bit further.

"Da-da! Da-da!"

Tony immediately duck his head out of the chest cavity and whipped his head around. He furrowed his eyebrows, left his wrench on the metal table next to him, and got up from his seat. He began to walk around his workshop in search for his daughter. He walked over to his desk and found nothing. He walked over to the glass case that held his Mark 42, and, again, found nothing.

"Hm…" He hummed to himself, still puzzled.

He walked to the back of his workshop and found his daughter, Maria, playing with DUM-E and Butterfingers.

Tony grinned warmly at the sight. DUM-E and Butterfingers were tilting their claws to the side, as she tried to grab onto them. She laughed and smiled at the robots, and then she saw her father. She turned to face Tony, and lifted her arms up to him.

"Da-da!" She screeched excitedly.

Tony picked up Maria and carried her in his arms. "Hey, Sweetheart. How on earth did you get down here?"

Maria touched Tony's goatee and rubbed it. She giggled and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, holding on tightly. "Da-da…" She hummed in content. He could tell she missed him.

He held onto her and smiled into her shoulder. Having a child with Pepper was the best thing that's ever happened to him. It was scary, at first, but Pepper helped him through it.

He carried her towards the glass door and heard it pop open. He carried her through the threshold and began to climb the stairs. "What did you and mommy do today?"

Maria leaned back in his arms, and started to pat her dress. "Dress!" She said excitedly.

"Oh, did mommy buy you a new dress?" Tony asked with delight.

Maria nodded with enthusiasm. "Toy!"

"_And_ new toys?" He asked in shock. "Mommy sure is spoiling you, huh?"

"Nuh-uh!" She said with a wide grin.

"What's mommy doing right now?" He asked her as they climbed the final steps.

"Din-din." Maria said, looking in front of them. She saw the area of toys to their left, and then saw her mother cooking dinner to the right. Tony smiled widely as he saw Pepper's back facing him.

"Why don't you go play with your toys while I talk with your mommy?" Tony told Maria, as he bought her down to the blanketed area. She had dinosaur toys, Barbie dolls, and building blocks strewn throughout the blanket. Pepper and Tony didn't question her any further when she asked for certain toys. They didn't care if they were made for boys or girls. They vowed to love their daughter no matter what.

Tony smiled widely as he quietly walked up to Pepper. He could smell the delicious oxtail stew that was brewing in front of her. Pepper was a great cook, which was a huge relief, since Tony's cooking often resulted in fire. He wrapped his arms around her middle and hugged her from behind. Pepper squeaked in surprise as her body jolted. He chuckled loudly behind her ear, rest his chin on her shoulder, and kissed her neck.

The tickling sensation of his lips and goatee on her neck made her squirm a bit. She laughed and forgot about the stew; she turned around in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling widely and lovingly at him.

"Hey," He greeted with a toothy grin.

"Hey." She smirked. He soon dipped his head down to nuzzle her neck with his nose.

"Missed you." He said, pressing a kiss to her collarbone.

"I missed you, too." She replied, hugging him tighter.

He lifted his head back up. "Our daughter snuck into the workshop again."

"Again?" Pepper asked worriedly.

"Yup." He nodded, smiling lightly. "I found her playing with DUM-E and Butterfingers this time."

"How does she do it?" She asked, glancing over at Maria, whom was happily playing with her toys.

"No idea." Tony shrugged, glancing behind him to look at her.

They were both very protective of Maria, but over the course of two weeks, she had wondered down to Tony's workshop. Neither one of them could figure out how she managed to do it. When they told Rhodey, he just laughed and laughed. He joked about Maria having teleporting superpowers.

"Maybe she does have superpowers," Tony joked, flashing a small grin.

Pepper shook her head. "Don't. The last thing I want is another Stark risking their life for the greater good, or whatever Director Fury says to you guys." She sighed heavily, and watched Maria smash a dinosaur's head into a wall of building blocks.

Tony frowned and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Hey, remember what I told you. If you want me to stop being Iron Man, all you have to do is say so. I care about our family as much as you do."

"But, I don't want to take that away from you…" Pepper frowned, feeling his hands rest on her waist. She brought her hands up behind his head and mindlessly played with his hair. He sighed against her hands and pressed another kiss to her cheek.

"Baby, you said yourself that you didn't want our daughter to grow up without a father." He watched her nod. Just the thought of leaving Pepper and Maria alone for a second made his stomach churn. Various 'what if's ran through his head. What if a bad guy kidnapped them while he was away? What if Stark Tower collapsed while he wasn't there? What if—What if—What if—they never ended.

But, Pepper knew how much Iron Man meant to Tony, and she convinced him to continue being Iron Man. She also knew how antsy he got when the other Avengers left on a mission without him.

"I know…" Pepper whispered.

"And I don't want to grow old without my family." Tony tilted his head to the side to look into her eyes. They both stared at each other; they could both feel the warmth and endearing love they had for each other, and their family. No matter what happened, they wouldn't leave each other.

"Ma-ma! Da-da!" They heard.

They looked own by their feet and saw Maria, smiling widely, in her beautiful new dress. Pepper and Tony both unraveled themselves from each other and let their attention fall on their daughter. Pepper picked up Maria, and held her between her and Tony.

Tony tickled Maria, and she giggled cutely, trying to avoid his arms by burying her face into Pepper's neck, but Tony kept tickling her and threatening to 'take' her nose. Pepper and Tony both laughed as they played with Maria, ensuring that she was as happy as they were. Tony couldn't have ask for anything better; he loved his wife, his daughter, and everything they had together—and one more bun in the oven couldn't hurt, right?


End file.
